Petronas Kimanis station in six-month pilot project to sell RON97 petrol to Brunei motorists in Sabah

Because of low demand, only 37 out of 260 petrol stations across Sabah sell RON 97 petrol, but this makes it difficult for Brunei motorists there, who are not allowed to buy the subsidised RON 95. Bernama reports that a six-month pilot project is being conducted at the Petronas Kimanis petrol station to assess the demand for RON 97 petrol for vehicles travelling between Bandar Seri Begawan and Kota Kinabalu.

“The main issue faced by visitors and tourists from Brunei stems from the current government policy, which stipulates that foreign-registered vehicles are only allowed to refuel with RON 97, a non-subsidised fuel sold at market price.

“According to records from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, 156,000 Brunei-registered vehicles entered Malaysia between 2023 and last year,” said domestic trade and cost of living minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali.

Located along the Pan Borneo Highway, 205 km from the Bruneian capital, Petronas Kimanis will store RON 97 petrol in a 5,000-litre mini portable container system as part of this pilot project.

“This approach aims to assess the effectiveness of the fuel storage and sales system in meeting consumer demand while minimising the financial impact should fuel sales fall short of projected levels.

“This trial period also allows for detailed monitoring and analysis of operational aspects, including supply stability, customer demand patterns, and delivery logistics requirements, to ensure a more efficient, sustainable, and profitable implementation in the long term,” Armizan said, adding that the ministry will consider adding more RON 97-supplying petrol stations along the route if the pilot project is successful.

The post Petronas Kimanis station in six-month pilot project to sell RON97 petrol to Brunei motorists in Sabah appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.